Past tense

Posted in Blog by Twenty Major on May 12th, 2008

If I could rejig the English language I’d remake some of the past tenses of verbs to make them more hilarious and funky sounding.

For example:

“Where did you get that lovely jumper?”

“Oh, my Granny knat it for me”

or

“Poor old Joey fell to his death after falling out of the window. He managed to grab one of those poles that stick out of buildings in Harold Lloyd films but although he clang on for ages he couldn’t hold on.”

It would make English a much better language, in my opinion. What past tenses would you change?

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74 comments

  1. morgor the waterford man says:

    I will think, I think and I thunked.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:09 pm

  2. Dave says:

    I shug yer ma.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
    1

  3. Lung the Younger says:

    “Smitten” to “Smut” definitely.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
    2

  4. mj says:

    I count, she counts, they count
    I cunted, she cunted, they cunted.

    Doors should be shitted, not shut.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
    3

  5. morgor the waterford man says:

    I ski today, and I skid yesterday.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
    4

  6. JL Pagano says:

    Much like MJ’s idea…

    I’d shorten “wouldn’t” to “wunt”

    “shouldn’t” to “shunt”

    and “couldn’t” to…yeah, you all get it by now.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
    5

  7. SAm Crea says:

    If you were born in the southeast of the country and considered it normal to talk of

    “getting Squez up again the wall”

    (Queens english translation - The Gentleman was squeezed against the Wall)

    You would wonder what all these people from the foreign parts of Ireland were talking about

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
    6

  8. Darragh says:

    “Poor old Joey fell to his death after falling out of the window. He managed to grab one of those poles that stick out of buildings in Harold Lloyd films but although he clang on for ages he couldn’t hold on.”

    It would make English a much better language, in my opinion.

    Jaysis Twenty, sure we’ve been speaking like that in Kilkenny for AAAAAAGES!

    Ye big townie skanger ya.

    (Where’s the shape?)

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
    7

  9. manuel says:

    shat…..quality…..”I just shat in your kitchen”

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
    8

  10. Twenty Major says:

    Reminds me of the old reliable:

    Why was Lieutenant Uhura black?

    Coz William Shatner.

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
    9

  11. Alan Smithee says:

    Phoenix Pork ?

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
    10

  12. Conan Drumm says:

    Did - dud
    Rode - rid
    Rid - rud
    Said - sid
    Peed - pid
    Pooed - pod
    Teed - tid
    Brought - brawt
    Smote - smoat

    etc etc

    May 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
    11

  13. Ross O Carroll Kelly says:

    What the Fock, has the Phoenix Pork got to do with anything??

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
    12

  14. morgor the waterford man says:

    another south-east one :

    His Ma trun a rock at me yesterday.

    or

    There were cans trun all over the place.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
    13

  15. lazlo panaflex jnr says:

    lollygogging to…………,no actually,thats pretty perfect as it is.never mess with a classic

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
    14

  16. Alan Smithee says:

    I dan’t know

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
    15

  17. Alan Smithee says:

    This just reminds me of the gendarme in the Brit TV series “‘allo ‘allo.” So fock iff.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
    16

  18. RockyRoader says:

    It’s all disgracious.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
    17

  19. RandomNoise says:

    More use of words which are only used now with “dis-” on the front please.

    That would make me gruntled and heartened.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
    18

  20. finn says:

    reminds me… why isn’t there an accepted contraction form of “am not”? as in, ‘i amn’t getting in that car with you pennywise.’

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
    19

  21. Alan Smithee says:

    Random I am the appointed one.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
    20

  22. Twenty Major says:

    Amn’t is used quite a lot here, Finn.

    May 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
    21

  23. Lung the Younger says:

    Kilt should be the past tense of kill. Curiously it should also be practiced on people who wear kilts.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
    22

  24. Dawg says:

    “Can you see the boat from here” he said.
    But “Are you lookin’ at me” he skanged.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
    23

  25. Dawg says:

    It’s all well and good chiming in from around the country with your paltry few local words, but to really see the masters of this you have to cast your eyes Northward… to the “practitioners” of Ullans - our third language.

    For those who can access it (damn subscriptions) this makes for fantastic reading…

    http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0508/index.html

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
    24

  26. yamadyoke says:

    The jumper didn’t fat.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
    25

  27. morgor the lapdog says:

    why isn’t there an accepted contraction form of “am not”?

    I ain’t?
    I’m not?

    I amn’t just rolls off the tongue though.

    It rollt off my tongue more easily yesterday though.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
    26

  28. RandomNoise says:

    Dawg, that is fucking mental. “it’s a wee brave day the day”. Jesus. It’s a billy-connolly-based-phonetic-language. Love to have done it for the leaving.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
    27

  29. David says:

    I’m a Corkman living in Kerry and apparently, up here, the past tense of Scrap is Scrope! As in “What happened your face?” “Oh I scroped it off a wall lasted night when I fell over pissed.”

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
    28

  30. Twenty Major says:

    That’s exactly the kind of thing I mean. Much better.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
    29

  31. Monkey Balls says:

    Och, ’tis a brae braw nicht tonight!

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
    30

  32. RandomNoise says:

    Can I ask - was “poor Old joey” in a Harold Lloyd film, or did he just reach out assuming something would be there cos he saw it on tv?

    Also, poo-ed (or whatever it is) should be pood.

    May 12th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
    31

  33. Alan Smithee says:

    Morgor it’s arnt. I am not doing that= I arnt doing that. As in are not.

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
    32

  34. Northside Langer says:

    One from the North…

    Whats wrong with yer car? Has it stopped startin’?

    No, Its started stoppin’

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
    33

  35. Alan Smithee says:

    I’m fixin’ to quit.

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
    34

  36. cantona says:

    My eight year old daughter still says “brang” instead of “brought”….e.g., “I brang my schoolbag with me to school”. Gave up correcting her years ago….thinking of using it myself now…

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
    35

  37. Scawgeen says:

    Priest to Bridegroom

    Did you bring the ring ?

    Yes Fadder I brung it.

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
    36

  38. Scawgeen says:

    Snap cantona!…great minds think alike etc.

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
    37

  39. Loco Lobo says:

    Is it shit, shat, shit or is it shat, shit, shit?

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
    38

  40. Crock says:

    Amn’t is also often followed by ‘not’ too, making it even more delightful….I’m not making much sense..’amn’t I not?’

    Anyway, that’s not the question… isn’t it not..

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
    39

  41. Gaea says:

    Years ago I caught a bit of a news magazine program in which a Southern backwoods redneck crick twang mother was describing her severely injured son’s recovery from a long-term comatose state. I think he’d flipped his four-wheeler over in the mud or something. She said she knew he was on the road to recovery when she asked him to grab her hand if he was still present in some sense, and he did–”He squezzed and squezzed.”

    Yes, short ‘e’ there. Beautiful!

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
    40

  42. Jo says:

    LL, it’s shit, shat, shat - I have shat myself, not I have shit myself.

    Alan Smithee, we say aren’t already. And Pork is South Dublin posh speak, as popularised by ‘Ross O Carroll Kelly’, who I do not find funny. You’re not down with our Irish Lingo.

    I have a four year old so we speak like this a lot in our house. There’s no point correcting them, it’s natural gramatical progression - sometimes it just doesn’t work!

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
    41

  43. bug says:

    And will you be wearing that Pool jersey there?
    Sure I near got me face broked the last time I war that!

    May 12th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
    42

  44. Crock says:

    On Jo’s last point, ‘I brang’ has been popular in our house for years..

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
    43

  45. bug says:

    That support band, They stinked, stunk, stenk, stank or stunked?

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
    44

  46. Twenty Major says:

    Stonk

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
    45

  47. bug says:

    Pardon me

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
    46

  48. Twenty Major says:

    They stonk

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
    47

  49. Peadar says:

    suck - sack?

    May 12th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
    48

  50. Alan Smithee says:

    I just want to say well dun Man U

    May 12th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
    49

  51. Ross O Carroll Kelly says:

    Who, loike, focking rattled your cage Jo,
    Your probably a skobe..

    May 12th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
    50

  52. roryjohn says:

    He span on his heels … Ah no, Twenty already used that one.

    May 12th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
    51

  53. Alan Smithee says:

    Jo. I have’nt spent time there since the late ’70s. And then it was the north. By the way I managed to get in touch with the mod, well one of the handlers, and am invited to the party etc.

    May 12th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
    52

  54. Holemaster says:

    I wasded out on the town last night
    Gotted drunk, wint looking for a fight
    Along cim a skanger, from Cork, a langer
    Bet him good till he squizzed out shite.

    May 12th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
    53

  55. Holemaster says:

    Correction “A shite”

    May 12th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
    54

  56. SAm Crea says:

    “Waddin Sa”

    (queens English translation:
    I was not in attendance Yesterday, Sir)

    May 12th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
    55

  57. SAm Crea says:

    Sorry should be
    “Waddin in sa”

    I’m terribly sorry, for that grammatical faux pas..

    May 12th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
    56

  58. Wexford Lad says:

    That SAm Crea, is a quare tick yoke.

    May 12th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
    57

  59. Holemaster says:

    Giz the ass off that fag boy

    Translation:
    Please may I have the last drag off that cigarette

    May 12th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
    58

  60. Northside Langer says:

    Loadza differences around the country:

    West: Jaysus, thats fierce bad.

    North West: Jaynee, thaats wild baad.

    Cavan: Jeesus, thats oojes (spelling?) bad.

    Cork/Tipp: Thats wicked bad.

    Or the opposite (Cork): Thats majestic elike!

    May 12th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
    59

  61. porridge says:

    and the dublin “dat does be bruutal”

    May 12th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
    60

  62. keeskennis says:

    “Do you see that pretty girl over there just wanked at me”

    May 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am
    61

  63. Twenty Major says:

    haha, bravo.

    May 13th, 2008 at 8:46 am
    62

  64. Anto says:

    Keeskennis

    More coffee spluttered over keyboard.IT department very unhappy

    May 13th, 2008 at 10:22 am
    63

  65. Monkey Balls says:

    I’m sorry I drunk as much as I did yesterday. If I’d a’stayed awake, I’d a thunk of some good ones for this thread.

    Ya snuz, ya luz!

    May 13th, 2008 at 10:59 am
    64

  66. Walter Ego says:

    I tried to climb up a tree and when I reached the top it was the highest I had ever clumb. Ever!

    May 13th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
    65

  67. shaz says:

    clasic , i remember a guy in school telling me once that he “just did a shat in the jacks”. stupid cunt. maybe it was you 20?

    May 13th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
    66

  68. Jus says:

    I know a nordie who says ‘it’s not yours, it’s mines’ and swole instead of swollen - his face was all swole after it got kicked in.

    May 13th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
    67

  69. Lorcan the Lion says:

    I just cam on your face

    May 13th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
    68

  70. Crock says:

    I thought shat was a word? Shat. Shat… It IS shat… it’s not shitted… jesus, what is it?

    May 13th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
    69

  71. Crock says:

    Oh… ‘just did a shat’ .. no, that’s not right. Should be dunned.

    May 13th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
    70

  72. Crock says:

    Or dunnied. Fool.

    May 13th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
    71

  73. shaz says:

    i digress slightly
    what the FUCK is with scottish people saying DIDNAE instead of DIDNT

    May 14th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
    72

  74. tenza says:

    squoze - past tense of squeeze

    May 19th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
    73

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